Autumn Celebrations

Last Thursday I took a trip into the City to pick up a few pieces of body jewelry – $40 bought me two 12g circular barbels [with spiked ends for septum], two 16g nostril screws [with spiked ends], two 14g rings [for lip], one 14g curved barbel [for vertical labret] one 16g ring [for right helix] and one 14g retainer to replace the one I lost. Obviously it was a short and very to-the-point visit, but that is because I did not want to waste too much time before heading down to South Jersey, where I would be spending the weekend with Jon at his request.

Spent most of the afternoon watching random things on t.v., then headed to a diner for some grub. Have I mentioned how much fun it is to go out in public? While I am certain that I have, it bears repeating because I cannot have enough moments where I enjoy the company of my best friend. It is not that I lacked in the confidence department before we met, though admittedly I am quite shy and socially awkward, but when you are out with someone who has about as many body modifications as you do, there is a tendency of not giving a shit about anyone else. No matter where we go or how many other people are around, it is just Jon and me. Aside from that, I have always had a desire to be one of those visually appealing couples that compliment each other, and I’m certain we achieve that without much effort.

After dinner we hopped over to the theater for Shaun of the Dead, which is a spoof of other zombie flicks that had us both laughing the entire time. Then again, we did smoke a fat joint in the Chevy before going in and Jon manged to slip a flask of whiskey in, which had been drunk empty before the movie was even half over. Enjoyed the fact that for the first ten minutes or so of the movie, Shaun and Ed did not realize there were zombies infesting the streets. There were many moments of hilarity and even some decent gore scenes. My favorite part was when Shaun and Ed were singing together and a zombie kept chiming in.

The following day after having an intense conversation about what direction we want to take the sideshow troupe [considering that currently it is just the two of us], Jon suggested that we take our minds off everything for a while and whisks me away to dinner at some trendy seafood restaurant. Between us we have a fair amount of visible tattoos and piercings, a penchant for black clothes and spiked accessories, and generally do not care whether we ‘blend in’ with the atmosphere of whatever place we enter. We also rocked faux ‘hawks which obviously grabbed attention, as everyone else wore button-down shirts with slacks or blouse and skirt ensembles with heels. Making a scene has become a major part of our outings, and I greatly enjoy every moment. Dined on coconut shrimp and drank wine while our loud conversations drifted to the tables around us. Serves them right for having seated us in the back next to the kitchen, lest we offend the delicate sensibilities of others.

After that he drove me to a lake out in the middle of nowhere and we spent some quality time talking. The moon and stars were the only light source as we tossed pebbles towards the puddle of ink and tried to guess what was making the various sounds we heard. Jon absently remarked it was the first day of Autumn as he lit a joint and turned towards me with a smile. The evening was lost to a handful of mushrooms and tracing shapes in the star-spattered sky.

It gets harder and harder to say good-bye, and I know that I could spend countless hours just existing with him, gazing into those eyes and knowing that I can trust him.

Yesterday my sister and I took a drive up to Starlight for some new mods since I discovered I had more money than previously assumed, though I suspect Jon had something to do with the sudden appearance of those extra bills. What better way to put it to use than to get more holes poked in my body?

For the longest time, since I apprenticed as a body piercer in fact, I have wanted to get my conches pierced. However, I know that it can be a difficult piercing to heal due to the thickness of the cartilage in that part of the ear. Then I discovered dermal punching, and after having my septum done, I decided that I would see if the same procedure would be better. Had the opportunity to select my own jewelry, so I went with a pair of clear glass plugs that have little skulls painted on the ends in a 4 gauge.

The actual process was not that bad at all, which might be credited to the fact I distracted myself with the current issue of Savage and all the lovely pictures inside. The pain from the punch was minimal despite the noise the tool made. It was the pressure from the jewelry that got to me, though over all there was very little blood. Not sure if I should be disappointed or not, though now that I think about it, I never really did bleed much when I got pierced in the past. My ears were definitely sore after the whole procedure was finished, and I felt a bit woozy while in the chair so I waited a few minutes before I got up. At least I ate that day, so I am stumped to as why that happened. Wound up having to sit down as a second wave got me, but having a small portion of your ears removed will likely do that. Then it was my sister’s turn to get her ears scalpelled, which was pretty bloody yet fascinating to watch, and I am glad that we got to share the experience.

There was a bit of dried up blood on the backs of the holes when I returned to the apartment in E-town, and sleep was weird because my ears felt tight. They feel better today, as long as I don’t touch them, which of course I avoid unless I am cleaning them. Definitely happy with the result and it will be cool to see how they heal. Then I will have nice little holes in my conches that I can look through, which makes me chuckle a bit.

Spawned from the Wilds of Weird New Jersey, my evolution is ongoing as I travel the winding road of life, taking adventures as they come. My passion lies in being a preservationist and historian of American variety arts: circus, sideshow, burlesque, vaudeville, etc. Creativity is a specialty and expressed through various artistic mediums such as writing, painting, collage, photography, body modification and fabricating custom hair art.